Anomaly
by ebjeebies
Summary: All her training screamed at her not to trust the beautiful eyes that slid past her hiding place. Especially powerful demons were adept at hiding their true forms with a dazzling exterior. Is Inuyasha one of those demons? Inu/Kag ONE-SHOT. Violence, Smut.


Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a while, but I've managed to re-discover my writing inspiration (finally), and so I present you with a fun little one-shot with some badass Inu-Kag fighting AND smut, all in the same short little story! I wasn't sure how the heck to categorize this (they really need more category options...) or whether to rate this 'M' or 'T,' but I decided to be safe and go with 'M.' **evil grin** Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Anomaly <strong>

The wind shifted suddenly, and his nose twitched in response. Something was there, had somehow escaped his earlier notice. He turned, feigning nonchalance, scanned the bushes.

Nothing.

The brief hint of scent that had wafted its warning past his nose was gone, fickle as the wind that bore it. Perhaps he had imagined it... no humans ever came this deep into his forest. His ears swiveled, trying to catch any telltale sound, tiny crack of a twig, rustle of leaves that might give an intruder away.

Silence.

Too silent.

The same quiet that descended when he hunted these woods for his prey.

But he was not hunting now. Which meant another predator was lurking nearby. What that predator might be hunting was a mystery, but he wasn't about to rule out himself as a target. It wouldn't be the first time the villagers had sent a hapless "Demon Slayer" after him, if that was indeed what was stalking his forest. He'd never actually killed one of them, simply sent them scurrying for the edge of his forest as fast as their puny human legs could carry them.

Then again, one of them had never managed to sneak up on him like this either, and then further, he was unable to locate whoever it was even after he had caught a whiff of human upon the air. So this person was pretty good.

He would wait. Whoever hunted him would make a move soon enough, and then be in for quite a rude surprise. Pretending to dismiss his concern, he turned back to the river, where he had been washing his face and upper body after a quick meal.

In the trees, Kagome let go of the breath she had been holding. When the wind had shifted out of her favor, she was sure she would be detected. Her careful planning would have been wasted. She was fairly certain that he knew she was there; the silence of the forest gave her away, she knew that. Her advantage lay in that he did not know exactly where she was.

The villagers had told her of a monster that lived in the forest, half human, half demon, an abomination if there ever was one. They described to her in vivid detail his wild white hair, flashing golden eyes, huge treacherous canines, deadly claws, and garments the color of fire. They said he could wield his own blood as a deadly weapon.

He had been born to a strange woman, they said, one who ventured out from the village only to return heavy with child, and no explanations about where she had gone or why. When they asked about the father, she had looked at them with sad distant eyes, and told them that he had died. When pressed further, she would only say that he had been valiant and brave.

Feeling sympathetic for the woman and her loss, they helped her clean her old hut, and when the time came, a midwife helped with the birth. But something went horribly wrong. Instead of a healthy baby boy, what the midwife helped the mother bring into the world was a deformed creature with dog ears atop his head, yellow eyes, and tiny, but viciously sharp claws. The midwife bravely cut the umbilical cord and warned the mother as she brought the child into her view that something was not right. As she handed the child to the mother, she counseled that perhaps they ought to drown him, since his features spoke of demonic heritage. Shocked, the mother drew the babe to her chest, glaring at the midwife for such a suggestion. It was not his fault that the boy was this way. "He's beautiful," she whispered.

And that beauty was why Kagome was still hesitating to make a move. She had expected, based on the villagers' descriptions, a hulking, flame-eyed beast, a creature who truly, only his long-deceased mother could ever love. The being that stood at the river's edge below her though, seemed far from such a monstrosity.

His long white hair was damp, water reflecting silver through the strands and running in delicate rivulets over his bare shoulders. And when he had turned, she saw his face, golden eyes scanning the forest suspiciously, and she failed to see the inhumanity in his gaze that all of the other demons she had hunted and killed possessed. She was not a Demon Slayer by any means, rather, she was a Hunter, a member of a branch of traveling priestesses who, like the Slayers, killed troublesome demons, but used spiritual power instead of the highly specialized weapons wielded by the Slayers.

All her training screamed at her not to trust the beautiful eyes that slid past her hiding place. Especially powerful demons were adept at hiding their true forms with a dazzling exterior, bright patterns on a poisonous insect. She had never encountered such a demon, but she had heard stories from the older priestesses. She would have to be extremely careful.

He was beginning to get impatient. Whoever was stalking him was certainly taking their sweet time about it. The air was still tense, the potential energy of the situation almost palpable, like an immense stone poised at the edge of a cliff—

A sudden flare of spiritual energy ripped through the stillness, and he turned just in time to dodge a flaming fuchsia arrow streaking toward him. It hit the water behind him with a hiss. It had come at him at a downward angle, and he rapidly scanned the trees for the source.

_Shit,_ Kagome thought, as she watched her arrow barely miss and splash into the river. He was too quick. And, it appeared he knew she was in the trees. Time to move then.

She scrambled down as silently as she could from her perch, unfortunately having to lose sight of her target as she did so. But her luck held. As she peeked over a bush, she saw that his eyes were still on the tree branches‚ right where she had just been. And he had moved closer. That was both good and bad. She knocked another arrow.

Inuyasha avoided the next spiritual missile by accident. He took one step to the right just as he felt the energy flare suddenly before the arrow went sailing past him. Fuck this person was good. This obviously wasn't some inexperienced Slayer teenager looking to make his first kill. No, this was a Hunter, and an experienced one at that. He dropped into a crouch, raising his heels in preparation for quick movement. From that second arrow, he had an idea about his attacker's location, but he was pretty sure she had moved by now. He focused his senses, intent upon catching the flash of spiritual power that would have to precede the arrow's flight.

Kagome sucked in a frustrated breath. She'd nearly had him; only fortune had stood in her way at the last possible second. She circled silently through the bushes to her target's left side, watching his defensive stance take shape as he rose up onto his toes. She settled her self and knocked another arrow in her bow, sighting down the shaft while simultaneously reaching within to draw out her spiritual energy.

Suddenly, he was gone.

The crunch of branches directly in front of her gave her the split second she needed to get her bow between herself and her attacker. His rush bowled her over, and only the curved wood saved her from his swiping claws. She rolled backward, using the momentum of the attack to throw him off of her. She scrambled to her feet, eager to put some distance between them. Hand to hand combat was out of the question. His inhuman strength would mean her defeat in seconds. She loosened the long dagger at her side in its scabbard though, just in case.

Realizing that she had been dallying, she looked frantically around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. She doubted seriously that he had run off. No, now their positions were reversed. Now he was hunting her. _Shit._

She dropped into a crouch, shouldering her bow and drawing her dagger instead. She took a deep breath, letting spiritual power run down her arm to fill the blade in her hand until it began to glow a deep pink.

Inuyasha watched her carefully from the trees, trying to decide whether to attack or flee. If he left now, she would surely hunt him down again, and he would only delay the inevitable fight. He had the advantage now. He should take it, as nervous as that softly illuminated dagger was making him.

Kagome caught a sudden streak of red and white in her peripheral vision. Turning, she barely met the assault with her blade, and was once again knocked to the ground. This time though, he managed to flip himself away from her before she could throw him.

Inuyasha rushed in before she could get up, intent upon disarming her. She dodged, and he yelped as he felt her burning blade rip through the skin of his bicep. He cursed himself for his clumsiness; a spiritual wound didn't close quickly like a normal wound did. Blood ran freely down his arm as he ducked another blow. Coming up from underneath, he grabbed her wrist and knocked the weapon from her grasp.

"Bastard!" Kagome spat, and aimed a kick to his side that connected with enough force to knock him back. She bent to grab the dagger.

Instead, she found herself on the ground, reeling from a retaliatory blow. Two clawed hands pinned her upper arms and a red-clad knee pressed into her quads. _He hasn't killed me yet...?_

"You know, I don't usually fight women," came a voice from somewhere above her.

Kagome shook her head to clear it. Had he really just spoken to her? _What...?_

"You're a Hunter, yeah? I thought Hunters were supposed to be smart."

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" She snapped.

He shrugged. "What, you got a death wish or somethin'?"

"No." How the hell could she get out of this? Her forearms were beginning to go numb.

"Then don't sound so damn eager."

_Fucker. _She grinned inwardly. In one fluid motion, she bent her elbows, grabbed his wrists, planted her feet, and heaved upward, throwing him off to the side. She rolled and grabbed her dagger, pouring energy into it as she leapt to her feet.

She flung herself forward, shoulder connecting with her target's sternum. She heard the breath rush out of his chest in a hiss as he stumbled backward, but managed not to fall. It was then that the thought that he was holding back occurred to her. _Why isn't he retaliating?_ She paused, letting her dagger fall to her side, though it continued to glow. He was looking at her strangely.

"They sent you, didn't they? The villagers?" He asked, pinning her in place with a hard golden glare.

"Who else would've?" She replied snappishly, though his gaze unnerved her. It was clear that he was angry, but she saw pain etched there too.

He sighed. "What was the story this time?"

She frowned. "You mean they've told different stories?"

"Keh. You trust humans so easily?"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. She should have ended this. She shouldn't be having this conversation with a monster. _A real monster _couldn't_ have this conversation,_ a voice in her brain advised. She let out the breath she had been holding in a huff.

"They told me that you attacked anyone who came into the forest, whether it was to gather herbs for medicine or wood for their fires."

He snorted. "They were taking from the forest and giving nothing in return. But I never touched them. All I ever had to do was show my ugly mug and they ran screaming like little kids." He laughed, a harsh, bitter barking sound. "They've always run from me."

Silence hung heavy between them as Kagome considered his words. On one hand, this creature, no, individual, was clearly dangerous; he had demonstrated as much by his fighting skill. On the other hand, he probably could have killed her several times over during their scuffle, yet he never did. In fact, the only scratches and bruises she had were from landing harshly on the ground. Slowly, her eyes rose to meet his.

"You didn't kill her either, did you?" She asked softly, daring to take a step toward him.

He sucked in a breath. She could only mean one person with that question. His mother. "Yes I did."

Kagome stopped her advance abruptly, and she clenched the dagger in her hand. "What?"

"It was storming. I wanted to walk in it." Why was he even telling her this? His brain tried to reel in his words, but his mouth didn't seem to want to cooperate. "There's a cliff, some bluffs down the river a ways. I wanted to watch the lightning."

Kagome stood, riveted to the spot. She watched him speak, seeming far away, detached, his eyes focused on something only he could see.

"I knew she wouldn't want me to go. So I snuck out in the middle of the night. I got to the top of the bluffs. The rain made the rocks slippery, but it was worth the view." He frowned deeply. "Or I thought it was. She found out I was gone and followed me. I was sitting up there getting soaked when I heard her calling." He closed his eyes, remembering the sound of her voice straining over the wind and thunder and pelting rain. "I heard her start to climb the rocks. I told her to stop, that I would come down. Humans shouldn't climb those rocks in the rain. She couldn't hear me over the wind." His eyes opened and focused suddenly on Kagome. "She fell…" He trailed off in a whisper. "She fell because of me."

Somehow Kagome managed to uproot herself and move to his side. She started to reach out to touch his shoulder, but caught herself. "I—"

He looked down at her, so close to him. The dagger she still held was no longer glowing. "The villagers thought I pushed her."

Kagome looked up at him with startled eyes.

"I couldn't deny it. I was still responsible."

"You're not—"

"I am." He glared down at his clawed hands, his hair falling in front of his face.

Gathering her courage, Kagome took a deep breath and raised her hand, pushing aside his curtain of surprisingly soft hair. He looked up abruptly, confusion in his eyes.

"You're not…" Kagome paused, finally wrapping her mind around the idea that had been growing steadily in the back of her brain since she had first set eyes on him three days prior. "You're not a monster. Inuyasha."

He took a sharp step back, eyes wide. "Who told you my name?"

Kagome took a step toward him, closing the gap again. "A little girl."

That made more sense. A child wouldn't understand the taboo as much. He exhaled.

"I haven't heard anyone say my name since my mother died."

"That's a shame."

"Not really." He shifted uncomfortably. She was much too close to him, much too curious, much too understanding. He wanted to get away. "Why are you still here?"

Kagome frowned at the question. "Shouldn't I be?"

There was no real reason for her to leave, other than that's what everyone always did. They always left. Or they chased him away. Or he chased them. "You're human."

A frown creased her brow. "So?"

He balled his fists, suddenly angry. "We shouldn't be…_fraternizing._" What right did she have, coming in here, attacking him without asking any questions, and then dragging a confession about his mother's death from his lips?

"_Fraternizing?_ I was just trying to show some sympathy!" She took a small step back.

"Well I don't want or need your _sympathy!_ You were attacking me fifteen minutes ago, no questions asked!"

"But I'm not—"

"It doesn't matter! You're a human! I can't trust you, and you can't trust me!"

"But—"

He took another step back and dropped into a crouch. He'd chase her out of here if he had to. "You don't think I'm a monster because you haven't seen me!"

Well that certainly didn't make any sense. He was standing right there—

—a tint of red began creeping into his eyes. She felt his demonic aura rise. Teeth and claws lengthened. Hair grew wilder. Green irises replaced gold, standing out starkly on vivid red sclera. She gripped her dagger, letting it pulse fuchsia. This was what he had been holding back.

"Inuyasha—" She whispered.

"Get out—" His now gravelly voice rang out. "—of my forest!" He sprang, and she met his rush with the glowing flat of her blade, burning him where it touched. He bowled her over, the two of them rolling, trying to gain purchase. She managed to get to her feet, glaring at him as he rose.

"No." She surprised herself with the strength and volume of the word.

He hissed in reply, flinging himself viciously at her again. She side-stepped at the last moment, and he skidded past her, whirling to face her.

"Leave."

A hard look was her only reply. She raised her sword. An idea had occurred to her.

He flew at her, and this time, instead of moving or meeting his attack, she flung her dagger to the side.

_What—?_ Inuyasha had a split second to pull his attack, but he couldn't stop his momentum. He slammed into her, and as they fell, he felt arms snake around his waist. _The crazy—_ A hand tangled in his hair as they rolled with the fall. —_she's—?_ Suddenly, damp warmth on his mouth, and then sharpness, teeth biting his lip, as he came to a stop and weight landed sharply on his chest. _What the hell—?_ He'd never been kissed in his life, not like this, and he didn't know what was going on. All he knew was that his mouth was being plundered and it felt amazing and terrifying all at once. He tried to push her off of him, but his arms wouldn't obey, instead wrapping themselves around her torso and pulling her closer. He could feel his demon shrinking away.

When his teeth had returned to their normal size, he felt her tongue swipe against his lip. It felt good, and he was going on instinct alone, so he opened his mouth to return the favor, but was abruptly halted when her mouth covered his completely and she slid her tongue past his lips. A hand slid into his hair and rubbed one of the ears atop his head, and he groaned deeply. _Kami—why am I letting her do this? I—I should be—_Another low moan escaped him when she tugged gently on his hair to deepen the kiss. An iron tang hit his tongue. _Blood._ He pulled away abruptly.

Kagome was looking down at him, brows knitted in confusion. Blood ran down her lip. He reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.

"I didn't want to make you bleed," he breathed.

A smirk graced her lips. "Then you should've thought about that before you went full demon on me. Those teeth are sharp." And she dipped back down, lips capturing his and not giving him time to respond.

This wasn't exactly how it was supposed to go. Kagome had planned to grab him and kiss him roughly, biting harshly, and yank him forcefully out of his anger. She figured the surprise of a kiss would be enough to pull him back to reality. She hadn't expected him to kiss her back so thoroughly, as though she was his lifeline. And once she had gotten a taste of him, she couldn't help but go back for more. He tasted wild, like the forest he called home, even around the metallic tang of her bloodied lip. His lips seemed to meld with hers, all heat and wet and want. She shuddered as his hand ran down her back, then traced along the edge of her green hakama. She moaned softly into the kiss, and felt him shiver beneath her. Fuck, but this was wrong in so many ways.

Kagome pulled away slowly, disengaging her mouth from his, and a thin thread of saliva stretched and snapped between them. Inuyasha looked up at her with a half lidded gaze.

"Whyja stop?" He slurred languidly, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I—it's just, this, we—it's—"

"Wrong?" He asked, frowning. The same thought had crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. This felt too good to be wrong.

"Yes, I mean, no—fuck. You don't even know my name."

She had a point about that, but he didn't think that should stand in the way. He reached up to cup her cheek in his hand. "Then tell it to me," he husked.

Kagome exhaled sharply. His voice—"I—It's Kagome…My name's Kagome…" she breathed, descending once again toward his mouth.

"Kagome," he echoed softly, leaning up to close the distance. This time the kiss was soft and gentle; it lacked the frenzy of earlier, though there was a depth to it, a longing that neither could deny. They were both loners. Though Kagome was technically part of a larger group, she spent most of her time in isolated travel, trekking across mountains and facing down demons alone. Inuyasha was an outcast. Shunned because of his heritage, he made his solitary home within the expanse of the forest. They were both desperate for contact. Real contact, not duty or a fight.

He moaned when he felt Kagome's hips rock against him. This was all entirely uncharted territory for him. He knew in theory about such things, as his mother had been frank when he'd asked her at the age of seven how children came to be. But he'd never imagined it like _this._ He pulled Kagome closer, locking their bodies together, and ground his hips into her, and he swore he would catch fire where his desire pressed into her.

But it was the wrong thing to do.

Kagome stopped abruptly, pulling away, the look on her face as though she had only just realized what they were doing.

"Kagome, what—?"

But she had already rolled off of him. "Sorry, I just don't think we should—I mean, I doubt you've ever—well, I mean, we shouldn't be doing—_that_—just…" She struggled as Inuyasha peered at her in confusion. "We hardly know each other," she finally mumbled.

He sat up, brushing some of his disheveled hair out of his face. His groin was currently protesting her absence. He sighed. "Yeah." What else could he say? He scooted closer to her, though he didn't touch her.

Kagome finally looked over at him. "I was supposed to kill you."

Well he certainly wasn't expecting that statement. His brow furrowed.

"How am I going to explain this?" She continued. She picked at the grass, yanking the tapered leaves out of the ground.

Inuyasha watched her intently, waiting for her to go on.

She flung the grass away and slammed her fist on the ground. "Fuck! I don't even _want_ to explain it! It's obvious that they're wrong—" she turned to look at him again, eyes blazing, "—I've fought more demons than I can count, and you're not like them! They're mindless monsters! Or fucking cold and cruel. They have no humanity, and you can see it if you look them in the eyes!"

Inuyasha's mouth hung slightly open at her outburst. He gathered his scattered thoughts. "But, but when I change my form—"

"You're fucking scary as Hell, Inuyasha, but I could see your mind was still there. If I wasn't sure of that, I wouldn't have taken such a stupid risk and—and—" She stopped, suddenly slightly embarrassed.

"Mauled my face?" He put in with a taunting grin.

"Shut up."

He just chuckled.

Kagome remained silent. The wind rustled through the leaves, the lightly swishing music calming her.

"Why do you stay here?" She asked finally.

"In the forest, you mean?"

"Yeah. I mean, the villagers, they're so…why haven't you left?"

He shrugged, but his gaze wandered in the direction of the river. "It's home, I guess."

Quiet stretched between them for a moment.

"Come with me."

Inuyasha turned to look at her, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

She met his eyes with an earnest expression. "Leave. Come travel with me. We could hunt demons together. People—people would see that you're doing something good."

He frowned. "I don't think that other villages would be any more welcoming than this one."

"That won't matter. We'll be on the road for the most part, and when we do go to villages, you'll—you'll be with me."

"And that would keep them from attacking me?"

Kagome's mouth twisted into a savage grin. "I have a reputation that precedes me. I kill demons for a living. They won't protest if they want the scourges of their villages wiped out."

"Heh, I suppose."

"Besides," she looked at him coyly, "I think we'd make a pretty formidable demon hunting team, based on what I saw of your fighting, and I get the impression that that's just the tip of the iceberg…" She had leaned toward him as she spoke, and her words fluttered across his lips.

"You have no idea," he breathed.

"Then come with me," she said against his mouth, flicking her tongue over his bottom lip.

He sighed into the kiss, reaching up to gather her hair in his hands as he pulled her into his lap. He breathed in her heady scent, and their mouths opened, tongues sliding sensually over and across each other. He pulled back just a little, his answer still almost buried in their kiss,

"Okay."

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><p>I hope you all liked this little short! I'm currently writing chapter 7 of Novus Lux, but this little idea popped into my head, and I just had to write it down. It's a bit more smut than I've written at all before, so I hope it's okay. I have yet to tackle anything <em>really<em> steamy, but I'll get there eventually. One thing at a time, heh. Enyhoos, reviews would be much appreciated, especially since I haven't ever written much in the way of sexy scenes before (just a couple of really short ones in NL), so I'd really like to know what you guys thought about this. Love you all!

-ebj


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